With modern communications systems, it is not uncommon for people to utilize multiple devices and various networks to communicate. Although having multiple modes of communication may help an intended recipient to be more reachable, a caller may have difficulty deciding which mode may be the best option for communicating with an intended recipient at a given time. By connecting to a packet-switched IP-based network, unified communication across multiple networks (e.g., wireless, PSTN, HFC, etc.) and multiple communication devices (e.g., computers, PDAs, wireless and wireline phones, interactive televisions, etc.) is possible.
Presence technology has evolved over time from its instant messaging (IM) origins to become an ever-increasingly valuable element of unified communications. By revealing more information about a contact, such as a location, status, current activity, or even a person's mood, communication may be enhanced. Although a caller may have presence information for a person he/she wishes to communicate with, he/she may still have to make a choice between several communication devices to reach the intended recipient.
While unified communication over a packet-switched network and presence technologies are well-known, there is a need to utilize presence data in addition to real-time notification methods to provide for more efficient and productive communication.